Phantasm
by Kasumi Sora
Summary: [ONESHOT] Itsuki has not been sleeping well, as his subconscious fears come to haunt him.


**Phantasm**

By KasumiSora

Main Entry: **phan·tasm**  
Function: _noun_  
**1** a product of fantasy: as **a** delusive appearance **b** a figment of the imagination  
**2** a mental representation of a real object

------oOo------

Itsuki Naoya had been having nightmares. Not the kind that finds you in the middle of class with no pants, but the kind that chills the soul. Given all that he had been though, and seen in his life its no surprise that he would have bad dreams. Anyone would, right? In any case, that is what he continued to tell himself.

His sister knew something was wrong after a few sleepless nights. She pestered him for answers, but he gave none. There was no reason to concern her. They were just bad dreams. He had a feeling Mana was beginning to suspect something too. He had done well to keep it from her this long, but he hoped she would not ask. If Kaname knew he said nothing, something Itsuki was very grateful for.

The dream was always the same. He found himself in a long hallway running after something. What it was he wasn't sure. He would come to a set of towering wooden doors, engraved with detail carvings of castles, dragons, angels, and fairies. He would push on the door, bang on them, but they would never move.

"You can't do anything by yourself, can you?"

When he would turn he would always find a smirking Shiba Xi-Shin. Giving him just the superior look to make his blood boil.

"At least I can get here on time. Every time things get ruff you show up late."

"Yeah, I guess that is true," Xi-Shin would reply with uncharacteristic clam, "but you know you couldn't do it with out me." With on small push from Xi-Shin's hand the doors swung open.

"Brother..." would be the strained call that met his ears as he stepped in the room.

"Haruna? Haruna!" Silence would be Itsuki's only answer.

"We'll split up and look. You go that way." Xi-Shin would push him thru the door, and run off to the right.

"No, Isshin! Wait!" But he was gone, "Hot headed idiot..."

"Brother...please...help..."

"Haruna! Where are you?"

"Pleas-" the strained voice would cut off abruptly. Itsuki's eyes went wide as ice formed in his stomach. He would move to run into the room, but find himself unable to. Cold black vines had wound themselves around his legs. Binding him to his spot just in front of the door. It was always with a sickening realization that Itsuki knew what these things were. The darkness, the shadows only he saw, all those years ago. This was the darkness that a hurt his sister. He would try to struggle, try to scream, to yell at the moving shadows, but they only held him tighter. He would always end up being pulled roughly to the floor.

Cries and screams echoed around him; deafening noise attacking from all sides. He tried to clam down. He had to help his sister. He had to find Isshin before the hot head did something stupid. Then they all had to get out of here. He felt the Darkness loosen slightly. Jerking up suddenly, he would pull free. Stumbling forward, his whole body would burn where the Shadows had touched him.

"Sister? Haruna!" he would call. The Darkness that held him would recede to the sides of the room. "Haruna! Isshin!"

Drip.

Something warm, and wet would run down the back of Itsuki's neck.

Drip.

A drop on his cheek.

Drip.

Another drop on his hand. He would slowly lift his shaking hand. It was red. It was blood. For a moment he would just stare as the drops continued to fall. And with his heart pounding in his ears, he would look up. Haruna hung above him, tied in the black vines that he had just escaped. A small trickle of blood ran from her mouth. The darkness had cut into her arms, which continued to drip blood as he stared. "Haruna..." he would whisper, "Sister wake up..." Nothing, not a sign she had heard him, "WAKE UP!" Still nothing.

"Itsuki!" He whirled around at the call from behind him. Xi-Shin was running towards him, Mana close behind him. Itsuki found he could only stare at the running pair blankly. "Itsuki, I found Mana we need to go!" Itsuki would find he couldn't respond, and did want to. He would just stare at them, "Itsuki! We need to go!" Xi-Shin would roughly grab his arm, and a small drop of blood would fall on his hand. Itsuki would always follow Xi-Shin's eyes up to his too still sister.

Mana would scream; while Xi-Shin would only stared, still gripping Itsuki's arm. Itsuki would look down, and see Mana staring up, her hands to her face, silent tears streaming down her face.

"Yes, we need to go now."

Xi-Shin's head would snap back to him. He would open his mouth, and just as quickly closed it, nodding. Letting go of Itsuki's arm he would grab Mana's hand, and sprint towards the door. After another moment Itsuki followed. The door he had been so near a moment ago would now seem miles away. A bright flash of white light would fill the room, and Itsuki would fall to the hard stone floor. On his feet again quickly, he would start to run again. A sharp pain would surge though his shoulder, knocking him to the floor.

"Move, and he dies."

Itsuki always realized at this point it was all a dream none of it was real. It just _couldn't_ be real. Because he knew that was Amou's voice over him. Because he knew that it was Amou that just shot him. He knew the great white wings in front of him were those of the Amou from the past, Eraser Israfel.

"You!" Xi-Shin's voice would thunder around the room, "How could you after everything we've been though? Was it all a joke? Was it all a trick? What about Tomonori? Did you enjoy killing him?"

A laugh, high pitched and cold, "Not really it was entirely too easy. He wouldn't even fight back." then Amou-_No_, Israfel began to laugh again.

Itsuki would struggles to lift his head. The room seem to spin, it all felt so real, the dizziness, the blood, the pain in his shoulder. _'Its not! Sister is sleeping in the next room. Isshin will be out training at the crack of dawn,'_ The Eraser raised his hand, and there was another bright flash of light, '_Tomonori is going to yell at you for sleeping in class. Then Amou will tell you he only does it because he cares.'_ Itsuki would smile weakly at the dark stone below him,_ 'Mana is going to wake up, and call Kaname to see if he wants to walk to school together,'_ A great roar would sound behind him, and a rush of black would cross his blurry vision, _'And like always he'll say yes,' _White feathers would fall before his eyes, _'And everything is going to be okay,'_ the black blur crashed down in front of him. It was Kaname, and he wasn't getting up.

_'Because this is just a bad dream!'_

Itsuki would feel himself falling. Then --

"BOTHER!" Haruna stood beside his bed, looking very annoyed, "You over slept again. You're going to have to miss breakfast if we're going to make it to school of time."

Itsuki's bangs were matted to his forehead. His sweat soaked shirt was hung off his shoulder. He stared at his sister as if he had never seen her before.

"What did I grow a second head? Get up! I'm not going to be late because of you again." Haruna paused in her rant long enough notice the ruff appearance of her brother, "Hey, you aren't sick are you?" She put her hand of his forehead, brushing the pasted bangs away, "You don't feel hot, but you looks so pale..."

"Sister..."

"Well, if you fall a sleep in class again, Tomonori's head might explode. Mom hasn't left for work yet, I'll go tell her your staying home."

Before Haruna could move away Itsuki grabbed her wrist, and pulled her down on the bed with him. She stuttered a protest, but Itsuki gave no sign that he heard her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her thin shoulders, pulling her close to him.

"B-brother..."

"Just be quite for a minute, okay?" Itsuki said softly into her neck.

Haruna slowly relaxed into the sudden hug. Itsuki felt two small arms slide around his waist, and his sisters face press into his shoulder. They stayed like that for only a few moments longer.

"You smell like smoke." She mumbled softly.

A slight smile crept on to Itsuki's tired face, "Now you do too."

Haruna pulled back, and sniffed at her uniform, "I do…you jerk!" She quickly reached behind him, and grabbed his pillow, "You-did-that-on-purpose!" she yelled between smacks. Itsuki was rolling with laughing, while make lame attempts to block her blows. "I don't have time to change," she huffed, "The boys don't like girls who smoke…"

Itsuki flopped back on to the bed, still laughing, "I'll have to do that more often then."

"Ooooo!" Haruna threw the pillow hitting the laughing boy directly in the face, "Your so immature!" She stormed out of the room, grumbling something about 'being an only child".

Itsuki rubbed his nose, still panting from his laughing fit. He stared up at the shadowed ceiling above his bed. It hadn't been that funny. It just seemed so…

"Normal."

He closed his eyes, sighing. A moment later he sat up, stretching his arms way over his head, "Guess it might be worth going to school, if I can see Tomonori's head explode." He smiled as he wondered over to his closet, "And keep those boys away from my sister…"


End file.
